


Codependent

by sanctuary_for_all



Series: Around Every Corner [6]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Declarations Of Love, Feels, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, They brought it up in the gorram SHOW people, What else was I supposed to do?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-27 01:22:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14414592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: They may be codependent, but they're not looking to change that fact any time soon.  (Post-ep for 2X21)





	Codependent

**Author's Note:**

> In case anyone needs it, [here's](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com/post/173044335886/macgyver-2016-why-rebootjack-dalton-is-waaay) the meta I use for Jack.

Ever since that first month or so in Afghanistan, when Jack had tried like hell to pretend he wasn’t way too damn attached to the slowest EOD guy he’d ever met, he and Mac hardly ever seriously argued. Sure, they disagreed plenty, from everything about tactics to what qualified as good music, and some light squabbling was as much a part of the average mission as gunfire and Mac doing something crazy with a paperclip. An argument, though… there had to be some intensity to it in order to qualify for the term. Emotions had to get involved.

The fact that they were having this particular argument, Jack knew, was entirely his fault. But the damn thing had been building since the bank, and their little adventure with the Pakistani terrorist group had only made it worse.

“So is running off going to be a thing you start doing again?” Jack shot back, turning around at the bottom of the airstairs so Mac wouldn’t have an immediate exit route. “Am I going to have to add tracking you down to my mission to-do-lists from now on?”

Mac made an exasperated noise, stopping on the stairs. “I ran to the _second floor_ , because I’d seen what looked like a utility closet. You were there literally _five minutes_ behind me!”

“You can blow up a _building_ in five minutes!” Jack countered. “That’s _plenty_ of time for terrorists to shoot you!”

“The terrorists were all with _you_ , for the record, and there were more of them coming up the stairs,” Mac argued, brow lowering. “Making sure didn’t have to figure out a way to shoot all _20_ of them with the _three_ bullets you had left seemed like a bigger priority than telling you where I was going!”

Technically, that was absolutely true. You had to trust your partner out in the field, and he and Mac had separated plenty of times when they were out on a mission. He didn’t have the slightest doubt that Mac could do his job, or even that Mac’s job was usually the higher priority.

But when he’d turned around and Mac had disappeared, he’d flashed right back to that damn drive in Puerto Rico when he hadn’t been sure they were even going in the right _direction_. Jack had made peace with the idea that he’d go down shooting a long time ago – though these days getting blown up was definitely the #2 possibility – and had even accepted the fact that he’d go down _with_ Mac if he couldn’t manage to do it _for_ him. One day, even their combined luck was going to run out.

When it did, though, they needed to be _together_. The idea of Mac dying without him someplace was the entire reason he’d gone back out into the field in the first place, and the thought that he might get there just a little too late woke him up in a cold sweat at night. If he couldn’t use everything he had to help keep Mac alive a little bit longer, than what the hell good was he?

All of this flashed through Jack’s mind in an instant, but it was enough to veer the argument onto slightly more dangerous ground. “What about the bank, then? I spent most of that whole mess standing outside. There was nothing that said we couldn’t _both_ pretend to be hostages.”

Mac hesitated briefly, like he hadn’t expected the shift, but he rallied. “I _told_ you, you needed to be outside to keep a handle on the local cops. If they’d gone in too early, the hostages could have been hurt.”

“So it was better that they went in too late?” Jack shot back. “Besides, Matty was the one who hammered them into submission. Riley or Bozer could have played point man just as easy.”

“No, they couldn’t have. You have an authority that—”

They were cut off by an ear-piercing whistle from the top of the airstairs. They both turned to see Riley and Bozer giving them both matching “seriously?” expressions. “Any chance you two could take a break for a few minutes and move out of the way?” Riley said. “Some of us are pretty damn tired and would like to go home.”

“Or, even crazier idea, maybe we should _all_ go home and get some sleep,” Bozer added. “Because it’s just _maybe_ possible that exhaustion is part of the reason you two are going off on each other like this.”

Jack sighed. “Sorry.” He stepped out of the way so Mac could finish heading down the stairs, and both of them stood aside while Riley and Bozer made their way down.

As she did, Riley tossed something small to Mac. “For the other thing we talked about,” she said, smiling at him a little. “I grabbed some recordings on the plane ride out to Pakistan. Just turn it on, pop it in your ear, and you’ve got three solid hours whenever you need it.”

An expression Jack couldn’t read passed over Mac’s face, then it softened. “Thanks.”

Bozer looked curious, but Riley’s smile just widened. “Any time.”

Jack felt the burn of jealousy in his gut, shoved it down hard along with all the other shit he kept out of the way of decent human beings. Once Riley got more comfortable with shooting, she and Mac would be _great_ partners. They were the two smartest people Jack had ever met in his entire damn life – the _world_ probably deserved them to be partners.

When he accidentally met Riley’s eyes, she shot him her “Don’t be an idiot” look. “Now, Bozer, how about I take you home so you don’t have to wait on Mac?” she asked, her tone suggesting that she was trying to make a point. “That way, Mom and Dad can finish their fight and we children won’t have to worry about getting traumatized.”

Bozer nodded. “I am all over that idea, but I really feel like I’m more the ‘cool uncle’ than one of the kids.”

She gave him an amused look as they started walking back to the car. “You are _not_ an authority figure over me.”

He held up his hands. “No, the cool uncle’s not supposed to be an authority figure. I’m the one who helps you get into trouble when Mac and Jack say you can’t do something.”

Riley nodded. “I’ll buy that.”

Jack listened to the conversation fade into the distance, rubbing a hand against his chest to shake away the tight feeling “Mom and Dad” had given him, then turned back to Mac. “I love that kid, but don’t let her start giving you musical recommendations,” he said, making damn sure to keep his voice light. “Some of the stuff she listens to sounds like sheet metal being whacked together while someone screams in the background.”

His lips curved briefly. “That’s an odd but surprisingly accurate description.” Then he sighed. “It’s not music. It’s… something for work.” He tossed the device in the air a little, catching it again before tucking it back into his pocket. “I guess she decided this was easier than therapy.”

Jack’s brow lowered at the “therapy” comment. “Is it something about your dad?” he asked, worried something was bothering Mac that he’d somehow missed. Something he’d gone to Riley for help with, but hadn’t even _mentioned_ to Jack.

Mac shook his head, looking like he was wrestling with something internally. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Except it is, or else you would have made a joke right there.” Jack stepped forward. “Listen, Mac. What we do isn’t easy, and it can wear on a person in a lot of ways you might not even pick up on at first. Even if you don’t want to talk to me about whatever it is, there are people who—”

“It’s not that, either.” Mac cut him off, then winced a little like he was bracing himself. “When we were in the diner, I… sort of asked Riley to pretend to be you for a little while. So, apparently, she actually _recorded_ you so I never ask her to do her impression of you ever again.”

Jack went still, everything inside him suddenly careful. “Why?”  
Mac sighed. “It helps me think.” He hesitated, looking torn about whether he wanted to keep talking. “I just… you know how there have been studies about how nature sounds help lower people’s heart rates, because it inspires the brain to a state of outward focus rather than inward focus like anxiety does? Well, for me, your voice is nature sounds. When I hear your voice, no matter what it is you’re talking about, a part of me can’t help but pay enough attention to you that I don’t get stuck in my own brain. My thoughts are clearer, which means it’s easier to come up with ideas.”

Jack swallowed, thinking about the conversation he’d role-played when he was trying to figure out what Mac needed him to do. “Then why not have me come in the bank with you?”

Now Mac’s expression turned wry. “I do _occasionally_ try not to drag you into the middle of impossible situations, Jack.” He shook his head. “There’s no way I could have asked you to charge in there with me, unarmed, when I hadn’t even come up with the vague outline of a plan yet. It was better that you were outside.”

Jack’s entire being responded with such fierce, immediate denial that he couldn’t have held it back even if he’d wanted to. “I assumed this was something that big brain of yours had already picked up on by now, but since it hasn’t let’s get one thing straight.” He met Mac’s eyes, voice firm with every ounce of his bone-deep certainty. “With you and me, there is no asking. I will _always_ go with you, no matter where you’re going or what you’re going to do when you get there. Every _single_ version of the question you could possibly come up with, _ever_ , will get exactly the same answer.”

A completely unexpected raw look flashed across Mac’s face. “Every version, huh?” he asked unsteadily. His gaze was still locked with Jack’s. “How sure are you about that?”

Jack lost his breath, suddenly realizing they were talking about a hell of a lot more than tactics. For a second, pure fear shot through him – he’d been burying this a damn long time – but if Mac was about to jump there was no way he’d let him do it alone. “More sure than I’ve ever been of anything.” His voice was rough. “For as long as I’ve got breath in my body.”

Then Mac was pulling him closer, and everything else disappeared. The kiss was like free fall, a roaring in his ears and the entire world stretched out wide and beautiful before him. Mac’s arms around him felt more sure and solid than any parachute ever had, everything inside him brimming with such a pure, soul-expanding exhilaration that he was sure he no longer fit in his body anymore. Mac’s light was pouring into him, changing him from the inside out.

When they broke apart, Mac was glowing. “I always want you with me,” he said breathlessly. “I mean _always_ , to the point that I spent years worrying you’d figure it out and call me on it.”

Slowly, Jack started to grin. If he was dreaming right now, he hoped like hell he never woke up. “As you can see, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”

Mac grinned back, leaning in for another kiss. “Lucky for me.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my [original fiction,](https://jennifferwardell.wixsite.com/mybooks) my [blog,](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)!


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